Uniform interlocking foam packing material/building material apparatus and method

Abstract

A foam structure for protecting a product in a package can interlock with another foam structure, concrete or wood to form a structural unit of building material. The foam structure can be made of two nested parts, which can be made of differing materials. A structural unit that can be used as building material can be made from packing material. A foam structure that can be used to pack a product in a package is interlocked with another foam structure, wood or concrete to form the unit of building material. The structural units can be used in construction products or in flotation products. The structural units can be used as part of a wall form and can be attached to the wall or to the other side of the wall form with connectors. The structural units can have conduits. The conduits can pass electrical conductors, air, fluids, ducts or pipes.

1. A method for forming a packaging system and for subsequently forming a structural unit from components of the packaging system, the method comprising:
 forming a packaging unit by removably mating each of a plurality of three-dimensional elements with respective portions of a product, each of the three-dimensional elements having a cavity that removably mates with a respective portion of the product so that that plurality of three-dimensional objects reside in a first configuration;  
 placing the packaging unit into a shipping container to form the packaging system;  
 shipping the packaging system;  
 removing the packaging unit from the shipping container;  
 removing the plurality of three-dimensional elements from their respective portions of the product; and  
 interlocking the plurality of three-dimensional elements using interlocking structure formed on the plurality of three-dimensional elements to form the structural unit with the plurality of three-dimensional objects residing in a second configuration that differs from the first configuration.  
 
   
   
     2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of three-dimensional elements comprise eight three-dimensional elements;  
 the packaging unit includes eight corners; and  
 forming the packaging unit includes removably mating each of the eight three-dimensional elements with eight corresponding corners of the product.  
 
   
   
     3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of three-dimensional elements comprise two three-dimensional elements; and  
 each of the two three-dimensional elements corresponds to a respective half of the packaging unit.  
 
   
   
     4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein forming the packaging unit includes removably mating each of the two three-dimensional elements with respective sides of the product. 
   
   
     5. The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein the interlocking structure comprises a tongue and groove structure formed in surfaces of the three-dimensional element; and  
 wherein the interlocking structure of one three-dimensional element exactly meeting the interlocking structure of another of the three-dimensional elements.  
 
   
   
     6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of three-dimensional elements are foam structures. 
   
   
     7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the structural unit in the construction of a building. 
   
   
     8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the structural unit as a flotation product. 
   
   
     9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the structural unit to create a portion of a wall form for pourable building material. 
   
   
     10. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising coupling together the plurality of three-dimensional elements using a connector that fits through a connector opening formed in the plurality of three-dimensional elements. 
   
   
     11. A packaging system comprising:
 a product;  
 a plurality of three-dimensional elements;  
 at least one product receiving cavity formed in each of the plurality of three-dimensional elements, each product receiving cavity receiving a respective portion of the product when the plurality of three-dimensional elements are removably mated to the product in a shipping configuration in which the product and the plurality of three-dimensional elements form a packaging unit;  
 a container in which the packaging unit resides; and  
 interlocking structure formed on each of the plurality of three-dimensional elements, wherein the interlocking structure of each three-dimensional element is formed to exactly meet the interlocking structure of at least one other three-dimensional element of the plurality of three-dimensional elements to facilitate construction of a structural unit from the plurality of three-dimensional elements.  
 
   
   
     12. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the plurality of three-dimensional elements comprise eight three-dimensional elements;  
 the packaging unit includes eight corners; and  
 each of the eight three-dimensional elements corresponds to a respective corner of the six corners.  
 
   
   
     13. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the plurality of three-dimensional elements comprise two three-dimensional elements; and  
 each of the two three-dimensional elements corresponds to a respective half of the packaging unit.  
 
   
   
     14. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein each of the two three-dimensional elements further comprises a cavity that removably mates with a respective side of the product in the shipping configuration. 
   
   
     15. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein the interlocking portion comprises a tongue and groove structure formed in a surface of the three-dimensional element. 
   
   
     16. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of three-dimensional elements are foam structures. 
   
   
     17. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein the structural unit comprises a construction product. 
   
   
     18. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein the structural unit comprises a flotation product. 
   
   
     19. The packaging system of  claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of three-dimensional elements further comprises a connector opening adapted to receive a connector for joining the plurality of three-dimensional elements as the structural unit. 
   
   
     20. A packaging system comprising:
 a product having eight corners;  
 eight three-dimensional elements;  
 at least one product receiving cavity formed in each of the eight three-dimensional elements, each product receiving cavity receiving a respective corner of the product when the eight three-dimensional elements are removably mated to the product in a shipping configuration in which the product and the plurality of three-dimensional elements form a packaging unit;  
 a container in which the packaging unit resides; and  
 interlocking structure formed on each of the eight three-dimensional elements, wherein the interlocking structure of each three-dimensional element is formed to exactly meet the interlocking structure of at least one other three-dimensional element of the eight three-dimensional elements to facilitate construction of a structural unit from the eight three-dimensional elements.